‘Between Two Ferns’ Boosts Traffic to Obamacare Website–But Will It Last?

By

Jeff Yang

Mar 12, 2014 3:34 pm ET

President Barack Obama‘s decision to appear on Zach Galifianakis’s webseries “Between Two Ferns,” is drawing fire from conservatives. But could it be just what the doctor ordered for the American Care Act?

There are less than three weeks before the 2014 registration window for coverage under the Affordable Care Act closes, and the decision to shoot the video is stark evidence of the Obama Administration’s willingness to pull out all the stops in order to lift the percentage of young adults who’ve signed up for healthcare insurance under the law.

As Obama says midway through Galifianakis’s awkward interrogation, “Well, first of all, I think it’s fair to say that I wouldn’t be with you here today if I didn’t have something to plug. Have you heard of the Affordable Care Act?” (Galifianakis’s response: “Oh yeah, I heard about that, that’s the thing that doesn’t work. Why would you get the guy that created the Zune to make your website?”)